Jumping to Conclusions
by livsgirl
Summary: Alex witness something with Olivia that shocks her to the core. Will she listen to what Olivia has to say or will she just jump to conclusions.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know I said I wasn't going to start another story anytime soon but this one would not leave my head. I put fingers to keyboard and decided to put it out there and see what you guys think. I know Olivia is out of character but bare with me and give me time to get her back in character. I hope everyone enjoys and let me know what you think. **

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Alex sat in the car and stared in disbelief at the sight before her. Olivia had just knocked on the door of a cheap, seedy, by- the- hour motel room and entered when a woman opened the door. Normally, she wouldn't even think twice about seeing her wife at what was commonly called a hooker motel or any of her odd behavior she's witnessed for over the past month. But considering she had just caught her in lie, it was becoming increasingly hard to ignore.

Alex had stopped by the precinct hoping that she would be able to steal about ten minutes of Olivia's time and convince her that they needed a weekend get a way. When she didn't see her when she walked in, she asked Nick Amaro, her partner, where she was. He had told her that the captain had given her the rest of the day off with a confused look on his face. She had laughed it off and told him she had probably just ruined a surprise she had planned and to never let her know she had stopped by. He seemed relieved with that response and agreed to keep this visit to themselves.

As she walked out of the bull pen, she had hit speed dial two and called her. When she asked if she wanted to meet for lunch, Olivia had told her that her and Amaro had just gotten a lead on an old case and was following it up. Alex, who had to fight hard to keep her emotions under control, glanced at Amaro through the door and with what she hoped was a steady voice told her to be careful and she would see her that evening instead. Olivia had promised her an evening without interruptions and hung the phone up.

Alex was on her way back to her office across town when, as luck would have it, she saw Olivia's car and, on a whim, decided to follow it. After driving for about twenty minutes, Olivia had turned into the parking lot of the motel and Alex parked across the street to watch her. She was just starting to think that she had jumped to conclusions and Olivia was following a lead until the door opened and a young woman, about half their age, opened the door and pulled Olivia inside.

Alex put the car in drive as the tears began to fall, and allowed her mind to wander back to the case that had changed Olivia. It was a case that involved a young man that was twenty-two years old and accused of raping several students at the local community college. The evidence was rock solid against him and Alex had a slam dunk case to put him away for at the very least fifteen having to serve ten before he could be released. To say that Alex was shocked would be an understatement, when the woman who often felt like rape should carry the death penalty came in and begged Alex for her to plead the man out. She remembered the conversation like it was yesterday.

"_Alex, I need you to plead him out," Olivia said as she went storming into Alex's office._

"_Who?" Alex asked, glancing up at Olivia before going back to reading the file she had in her hand._

"_Wesley Smith."_

"_Why?" Alex asked as she looked up, shocked at what she was hearing._

"_He's a young man who has a chance to change his ways and make something of himself," Olivia explained._

"_And so is every other rapist we put on trial. What makes him so special?"_

"_He's not special," Olivia sighed as she ran her hands through her hair, "He's just a young man who has made a mistake."_

"_A young man who made a mistake, a mistake," Alex repeated, the shock more than evident in the tone of her voice, "He raped four women, Olivia, four women. I wouldn't say the young man made a mistake. What he made was a pattern, a very distinct pattern, not a mistake. Come on, Olivia, the man didn't even have the sense god gave him to wear a condom. I have gotten longer sentences with less evidence, you know that."_

"_At least, get him into a rehab. Let's give this young man a chance."_

"_A rehab? You and I both know that a rehab does nothing for sex offenders. Hell, if anything, it teaches them new ways to terrorize women and hide evidence."_

"_And prison is better?" Olivia said, almost shouting._

"_No, my opinion is that all rapists should have their penis cut off and then fed to them, but that is declared cruel and unusual punishment, so I have to settle for prison," Alex stated, put off by what Olivia was asking of her._

"_Not all rapists are alike though."_

"_You're right, they're not," Alex answered as she took a step back and stared at the woman before her. One that she didn't recognize at the moment, "Some are worse than others, but, either which way, they have forced themselves upon a woman and deserves to be punished."_

"_They do, but sometimes we have a chance to make a difference and that chance is now."_

"_We do make a difference, Olivia. We make one everyday that we get a conviction. We make one everyday that we take a sex offender off the street. We bring what little peace there is to the victims and give them a chance to start healing, something that they wouldn't have a chance to do if it wasn't for us."_

"_Don't you ever feel like you are making a mistake?" Olivia asked, taking a step toward Alex._

"_When the evidence is circumstantial at best, yes, I do, at times, but, when it is as stacked and concrete as it is with him, no, I don't."_

"_I think you are," Olivia said as she turned and headed for the door, "For once, have a little compassion and get the man the help he need, the help he deserves. Do you think you could do that or is that going to damage your climb up the ladder?"_

"_I am not letting a rapist walk with minimum amount of time when we have the evidence that we have. I'm sorry, Olivia, but I refuse."_

"_I should have known," Olivia sneered out as she walked out and slammed the door behind her._

Alex had jumped at the sound of her door being slammed and shook her head. Once she had recovered from the shock of everything, she had placed a call to Cragen and asked him to get her everything he had on Wesley Smith and not just what they had given her. She wanted to know what was hidden, what it was about this young man that made her wife, the biggest crusader for rape victims, change her tune and, for the first time ever, had her siding with the rapist and not the victim.


	2. Chapter 2

"Honey, I'm sorry, I'm late," Olivia sighed as she walked into their apartment and hung her coat on the coat rack.

"That's fine; I'm just going over a case," Alex said as she looked up and smiled at Olivia, "Did you find what you needed?"

"I did," Olivia said with a smile on her face that forced Alex to keep herself composed,"Actually, I think it's just what I've needed."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I can't believe I missed that," Olivia said with a slight gleam in her eye, "I'm going to go take a shower and then we can order dinner."

"I've already ordered dinner and ate," Alex said standing so she could face Olivia. In the six years together, they had never once out right lied to each other. They had kept secrets from each other which was expected considering their careers and background, but never out right lied, "What case were you working today?"

"It's an old case from before you transferred back with us," Olivia answered as she started down the hallways, "You wouldn't know it."

"Try me," Alex said in a voice that stopped Olivia in her tracks.

"What?"Olivia asked as she turned to face Alex.

"I said 'try me.'"

"Are you questioning me?"

"Looks like it detective," Alex said, taking a step toward Olivia, "What case are you following up on?"

"Do you not trust me all of a sudden?"

"I've trusted you with my life, but after today I want answers."

"What do you mean after today?" Olivia asked, becoming furious, "What's made today any different from any other day of our relationship?"

"Probably because I caught you in an outright lie and I want answers and I want the truth this second," Alex said, taking a deep breath in before exhaling slowly.

"Were you following me?" Olivia asked as she closed the gap between her and Alex, "Or did you hire someone to follow me, Alex, which one?"

"I came to the precinct today to steal ten minutes of your time, but Amaro told me that Cragen had given you the afternoon off. I told him not to worry about it you were probably going to surprise me and I just ruined it. I called you as I walked out and you told me that you and Amaro were following up on a lead to an old case. Which, normally, I wouldn't have questioned if I wasn't looking at Amaro at that moment."

"So, then you, what, had your phone company use the GPS on my phone to track me?"

"No, I was on my way back to the office when I saw your car and, on a whim, I followed you. You know, the whole time I was a few cars behind you, all I kept saying was: Why am I doing this? You wouldn't lie to me. There had to be a better explanation."

"But you still followed me?"

"I did, to what is commonly called a 'hooker hotel.'"

"What did you see?" Olivia asked

"You, go to a room, knock on the door, and a woman hugs you before she pulled you inside the room." Alex said as fought to keep her tears at bay.

"Because a woman hugged me and pulled me in a motel room, I'm cheating on you?" Olivia almost scoffed in disbelief.

"I'm not saying you're cheating on me. I've seen survivors hug you all the time, I've heard them offer you dinner because you've gone out of your way for them and I've seen you follow up with them years down the road. But you haven't been the same since the Wesley Smith case," Alex pointed out, "Your phone has rang and as soon as you look at the caller ID, you go into another room. You have a second cell phone, which I found putting up your laundry the other day, and, for the first time ever, you sided with a rapist. Now, today, you lied to me for what I hope is the first time ever or have you lied to me before and I was stupid enough to believe you?"

"Sometimes, in this job, we have to keep secrets. You know that, I know that, it's never been a problem before, so why now?"

"Probably because that was before you begged me to basically let a rapist walk."

"I told you that I was following a lead today."

"Were you not listening Olivia?" Alex choked out as the tears started to fall from her eyes, "You told me you were with Amaro, but I was standing five feet from him, looking him in the eye. It would be helpful if you could keep your lies straight."

"It wouldn't have been a problem if you didn't come to the precinct to check up on me," Olivia snapped

"I wasn't checking up on you; I wanted to take my wife out to lunch. I wanted to convince my wife to take a weekend get-a-way with me. Have a nice little down time where we got to know each other again, intimately. I wasn't there checking up on you. I have never bothered to check up on you and now it makes me wonder how many lies I've been told before."

"I have never lied to you, Alex."

"What, was today an omission of facts, what?"

"I was following up leads on a case."

"How much an hour did this case cost you? Was it twenty five an hour because you over paid if that's the hotel she used."

"Oh yeah, Alex, I have to go elsewhere because I'm not getting it at home," Olivia said, shaking her head as she turned to walk away, "You're unbelievable."

"I'm unbelievable," Alex said as she reached out and grabbed Olivia, "Well, excuse me for seeing my wife at a hooker motel and wondering. I mean, it's not like you have tried to touch me in over a month, which, once again, coincides with the Smith case. And, it's not like you, I don't know, have rebuffed every attempt I've made. So, let's wonder why I'm questioning what I saw today."

"You know every statement you make, you make sure to add something in there about Wesley," Olivia pointed out.

"Oh, now we refer to rapists with their first name," Alex said as she cocked her head to the side looking at her wife, "So, why don't you do what's right this second and open up to me and, before you give me some bullshit line, in my briefcase is a complete file on a Wesley Smith."

"Why tell you? I'm sure you've read all about it and know everything," Olivia said, shaking her head as she pushed past Alex and headed for the door.

"I haven't opened the file because I'm hoping that my wife would love and respect me enough to come clean to me," Alex said "I'm extending you that courtesy so, please, do the same to me and tell me the truth. What is it about the Wesley Smith case that's gotten to you? What's made this case different?"

Olivia hung her head as the tears started to fall from her eyes, slowly turning to face Alex. The hurt and pain she saw in Alex's blue eyes tore her heart to pieces. She knew with her confession that it would shatter Alex's world, but there was no way she could keep on lying to her. Taking a deep breath, she said the four words she never thought she would say.

"Wesley is my son."

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**A/N: I want to thank everyone for following, favorite, and/or reviewing this story and giving it a chance. I am always amazed when people read what I write. I can never say it enough but thank you from the bottom of my heart. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I must you guys constantly amaze me. You take time out of your busy schedules to read the stories I write. On top of that you didn't blast me or turn away when I made the first chapter appear as if Olivia was cheating. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to explain everything and somewhat redeem myself with you guys. To everyone who is reading and following not only this story but all my other ones thank you so much.**

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"Your what?" Alex asked, shaking her head, confused.

"Wesley Charles Smith is my son," Olivia repeated.

"Olivia, you've never had children."

"Actually, I have," Olivia said, taking a deep breath, "I was seventeen when he was born. His father was a student of my mother's and, looking back now, by all accounts, should have been arrested for, at the very least, Statutory Rape."

"How old was he?"

"Thirty-one."

"You were?"

"Sixteen and thought I was so in love with him," Olivia answered as she sank down into the chair, "When I told him I was pregnant, he asked me to marry him. Said he wanted to do right by his obligations and I was thrilled. By marrying, Robert was a way out of my living hell at home. I couldn't wait to rub it in my mother's face and tell her that I was getting married and I was having a child with the man."

"She didn't take it well?" Alex asked, sitting on the coffee table across from Olivia.

"You remember me telling you that she came at me and I kicked her into the wall?"

"I do, honey"

"That was why I kicked her into the wall. I told her I was pregnant and engaged and she came at me. She told me that this child would do the same thing to me as I did to her, ruin my life. She also said that whoever I was engaged to would run off and find someone different and I would forever be alone, like her."

"She didn't know you were seeing a student of hers?"

"Not until that night when I told her Robert wouldn't do anything like that. I have no clue how in her drunken state she put two and two together, but, lord knows, she did and came at me. I kicked her into the wall and ran to Robert. I stayed with him, afraid that any second the cops would come beating on the door saying that I had killed my mother."

"They didn't?"

"No, but someone started banging on the door at five in the morning. Robert answered it believing it was the cops, but instead it was my mother. I, thankfully, had not killed her. She had used her position at the college and gotten his address. She told him that she was reporting him to the cops and he would spend the rest of his life in prison and then jerked me out of the apartment."

"He didn't go to prison?"

"No, I was able to convince my mother not to report him," Olivia answered, finally taking Alex's out stretched hands in hers, "Instead, I worked out a deal with her. I would have the baby, give Robert full custody, he would leave and I would never speak to him again and I would never once look for or mention the child. I had to do something for the man who tried to save me. I owed it to him."

"He agreed to it?"

"It was either that or prison, so he jumped at the chance and I don't blame him for it."

"So you had Wesley?"

"Yeah, but I never knew his name. He was born on October fifteenth at four fifteen in the afternoon. He weighed eight pounds and ten ounces at twenty two inches long," Olivia said as she began to cry, "I heard him cry for about a minute and a half and then they took him from the room. I never held him, looked at his face, nothing. All I knew was the statistics. Robert took him the second he was released from the hospital and moved away."

"Honey," Alex whispered as she pulled Olivia to her and held her tight as she cried, "Why didn't you tell me about him?"

"Tell you what, that I have a son out there somewhere, that I was sixteen and pregnant? That I gave my baby up with the agreement not to look for him or ever contact him?"

"Olivia, you're not the only woman out there who had a child at a young age. Did you think I would think less of you for having a child in your teens?"

"Maybe, I don't know." Olivia said looking away the embarrassment more than evident in her face.

"I wouldn't have honey, I promise you." Alex whispered as she gently turned Olivia's face back so that she was looking into her eyes "When did you find out that he was your son?"

"About five days into the trial, when Robert walked into the precinct and demanded to talk to the arresting officer. I stood up and turned around and stood face to face with my past."

"I'm really confused right now, how did you not know that Robert was his father?"

"Do you have a clue how many Robert Smith's are out there in the world. In New York alone, there is over five hundred. In California, where Wesley was raised, there is over seven hundred and at least two hundred of them from the city he said he was from. Not to mention, I never knew where he moved to. I had always assumed he moved to Illinois because he had family there."

"You have spent the last twenty two years believing your son was being raised in Illinois and when everything matched to your son, you didn't think anything about it?"

"Alex, do you know how many boys were born that day. What were the chances that he was my son?"

"About one in thousand, I guess."

"Right, so as soon as I talked with Robert I came to you and more or less begged you to plead him out."

"Why not just tell me?" Alex asked softly as she gently wiped the tears from Olivia's cheeks.

"Actually, that was my plan, but as soon as I walked into your office, I couldn't tell you. How do I tell my wife that my son, who I kept hidden from her, was a rapist, just like my father, so instead, I wanted you to plead him out. If you plead him out, I would be able to keep my secret and there would be no chance of you ever sitting there wondering when I would turn on you."

"Turn on me?"

"Please, Alex, My father was a rapist, my half brother was accused of being a rapist and my son is a rapist. What is the one thing we all have in common, my genes, from my father. Don't you wonder how long it will be before you're prosecuting me for the same crime? I mean, it's only a matter of time, right?"

"If I had ever feared that," Alex said as she pushed Olivia back in the chair and straddled her, holding Olivia's head so that she was looking in her eyes, "I would have never asked you out, I would have never made love to you, I would have never came back to you after Witsec, and most importantly I would have never said 'I do'. So, no, I've never wondered that."

"Well, I do."

"I know, and you have always done that, and I know no matter what I say or do, you will always think like that."

Olivia shrugged her shoulders as she looked away.

"Now, let's get back on topic, does he know you're his mother?"

"I don't know," Olivia sighed as she gently pushed Alex off her and stood up, "Robert met and married a woman when Wesley was two years old and she raised him as she was his own. Honestly, I can't answer that question, but I'm going to have to go with no."

"Okay," Alex said as she watched Olivia pace their living room, "What does the woman you saw today have to do with this case?"

Olivia stopped pacing and turned to face Alex. She closed her eyes before speaking so low that Alex had to strain to hear her, "Well as I discovered earlier today she is Wesley's pregnant fiancée."

Alex smiled as she stepped up to Olivia and took her by the hands. She waited until Olivia finally opened her eyes before speaking.

"You felt the only way to tell me the truth about what you were doing today was to out yourself as Wesley's mother."

"Yes, so I went with the line I knew you would never question. I just didn't count on you being at the precinct when I lied to you. Alex, I am so sorry that I lied to you, believe me, I am. If I could turn back time, believe me, I wouldn't do it, I swear to you. "

"I know," Alex whispered as she wiped the tears from Olivia's face.

"What do I do? What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to go and take that shower," Alex said as she turned Olivia around and pushed her toward the hallway, "I'm going to heat your dinner up and, when you're done eating, we are going to sit down and work this out."

"Ok" Olivia said as she started to walk down the hall but stopped and turned to face Alex "I'm sorry Alex. I'm so sorry and I swear to you I have never lied to you before and I will never lie to you again. I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you even if it takes me till the day I die."

"I know, now go and shower, we have a long night ahead of us."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I know the gaps in updating this story are very sporadic and I am so sorry about that. I hope to change that here shortly but I can't promise anything. I have another rookie assigned to me which prevents me from writing as much as I like to. I want to thank you so much for reading, following, favorite, and reviewing this story. I don't say it enough but you guys are the best. **

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"Do you want me to leave or sleep in the guest room?" Olivia asked, finally breaking the silence that had surrounded them once she had finished her shower and began eating her dinner.

"Why would I want you to leave or sleep in the guest bedroom?" Alex asked, looking up from the file she was reading and taking notes from.

"Alex, I've lied to you," Olivia said, finally looking up at Alex terrified of what she would see when she did look at her, "I've had all these years to come clean to you and I didn't."

"I would prefer to call it an omission of facts myself," Alex answered as she sat the file down.

"Either which way, I kept something from you and I know you are mad about it."

"No, Olivia, I'm not mad. I am hurt, but, believe it or not, I do understand why you kept that from me."

"You do?" Olivia asked shocked

"Honey, while you were in the shower I put myself in your shoes. What if it had been me that was pregnant at such a young age and had to give my child up? How would I feel and would I keep that a secret from my spouse? "

"And?"

"You found yourself pregnant at sixteen by a man who was almost twice your age. A man who you found as your way out of a very unhappy child hood that no one should have had to endure, but you did and unfortunately many still do. Because of this when your mother threatened to have him arrested, which he should have been, you agreed to stipulations that were forced upon you to prevent that from happening. Those stipulations being that you gave your child up to him and you never once asked about him and I'm willing to guess your mother said to never mention him as well. Am I correct?"

Olivia nodded as she looked away ashamed.

"So to protect the man that was going to save you, you kept up your end of the deal."

Olivia nodded again still not looking at Alex.

"At some point during our relationship, you should have been able to tell me," Alex said as she moved till she was squatted down in front of Olivia and forced her to look at her, "Granted it's not something you throw out there like 'honey, I had a child I gave up for adoption when I was sixteen, could you please pass the salt,' but it is something that at some point you should have told me in some way, most especially, the second you discovered he was your son."

"I know," Olivia whispered as tears began to fall down her cheek.

"Now, we need to control the fallout from this before it gets worse?"

"How?"

"We start with going to tell Cragen in the morning that Wesley is your son."

"If I do that, the defense attorney will have access to it as well," Olivia argued with Alex.

"If you don't and he discovers it, he can use it to throw the case out, is that what you want?"

"Yes," Olivia said, without thinking.

"Olivia, I want you stop thinking with your heart at the moment and think with your head. We have Wesley dead to rights on all but one of the rapes. His DNA was in four of the victims and they picked them out of the line-up. He made them look at him while he raped them. So I will ask you again, do you want the case thrown out and a rapist walk free?"

"No, Alex, I never want that, but he is my son and I want to protect him."

"I know you do, honey, but sometimes we can't always protect the ones we love."

"I know," Olivia whispered as she allowed her mind to wander back to the night that Alex was shot and she was forced into witness protection.

"Hey, here and now," Alex whispered as she caressed the side of Olivia's face knowing exactly where her mind had wondered to, "Let's focus on this, not the past."

"After telling Cragen, what then?" Olivia asked, her eyes connecting with Alex's.

"As much as you hate it, we have to tell the defense attorney and then I have to tell Liz."

"Why?"

"Olivia, we have to tell the defense attorney so the case won't get thrown out. We just discussed this."

"I know that, I mean, why do _we_ have to tell Liz? He's my son, not yours."

"Yeah, but you're my wife which makes me his stepmother, which in turn makes me connected to the case. I have to tell Liz and step down. She has to find a different attorney to prosecute this one."

"If you do that, they will fry him," Olivia said as tears started forming in her eyes again.

Alex just raised her eyebrow and stared at Olivia, not bothering to say anything.

"I know, he has to be prosecuted no matter how badly I want to save him."

"Exactly," Alex answered, thankful that Olivia was finally starting to think like the detective she was and not a mother wanting to save her child, "I will see if Casey can take the case. If Liz will allow her to take the case, I will fill her in on everything, but I will not ask her to cut him a deal or lessen his sentence."

"For the record, I want you to know that it sucks," Olivia said leaning back in the chair and closing her eyes.

"I can only imagine honey and I'm so sorry that you have to go through this and do this."

"It's not your fault, Alex," Olivia said as she raised back up and looked at Alex, "It's my fault."

"Honey, it's not your fault, it's not my fault, it's not Robert's fault; the only one to blame here is Wesley. He is the one that made the decision to not take 'no' for an answer. He is the one that forced himself on women."

"I know, but I can't help to blame myself."

"I know you can't," Alex answered as she pulled Olivia to her feet, "That is a normal reaction of any parent in this situation, but, trust me, you are not at fault."

Olivia smiled at Alex as she leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Come on, let's go to bed," Alex whispered breaking the kiss and leading Olivia down the hallway toward their bedroom, "It's late and we have a long day ahead of us with a lot of emotional roller coasters."

"I know, one that will suck."

"It may suck, as you put it," Alex said as she pushed Olivia down on the bed and covered her up, "But I will be by your side every step of the way."

"You're an amazing woman," Olivia mumbled as she began to doze off, "Most women wouldn't have stuck around for an explanation or sent me packing for a while."

"I'm not most women, detective," Alex said as she slid into bed next to Olivia, smiling when she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her tight against her, "Besides, I remember saying 'till death do us part' not 'till we hit a bump in the road.'"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am so sorry about all the delays and I want to thank everyone who is toughing it out with me. You guys are the best and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. **

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Olivia leaned back and closed her eyes, allowing her mind to drift back over how her morning had gone so far. Cragen had ripped her a new one and that was putting it mildly. He had ordered her to desk duty and if he caught her anywhere near the case she would be suspended without pay till the trial was over. She figured since she was already batting a thousand, she might as well throw another bombshell on Alex. What she wasn't prepared for was the reaction that she got.

"Alex, I want to meet with Robert," Olivia said as they walked out of Cragen's office.

"Alone or do you want me with you?" Alex asked as they stopped at Olivia's desk.

"Would you be mad if I said alone?"

"No, honey, I understand wanting to talk to the father of your child alone. Will you call me when you're done?"

"I'm not going to leave you for him or sleep with him, Alex."

"I didn't say you were," Alex said stepping closer to Olivia so no one else would hear what they were talking about, "I'm saying call me because you are about to be on one hell of an emotional roller coaster and I not only want, but need to be there for you. Honey, your faithfulness or lack of is the least of my worries."

"It was enough of a thought for you to follow me though."

"I only followed you because I was tired of you lying to me and nothing else. I also knew that the only way to get you to open up was to corner you and accuse you of something."

"Piss me off so I would tell everything."

"That's it."

"Most people wouldn't have given me the chance to explain."

"It's a good thing I'm not most people," Alex said picking up her briefcase, "besides I love you too much to lose you without a fight. Now, promise to call me when you're finished."

"I promise."

"Thank you," Alex whispered as she leaned forward and kissed Olivia on the cheek, "I'll see you at dinner unless you need me sooner."

"Olivia," A voice said pulling her from her thoughts.

Olivia opened her eyes and smiled at the man that, at one time, had been her savior. His once full head of black hair was now gray and thinning slightly. His eyes still held the same sparkle that had attracted her to begin with and his smile was still as heart stopping as ever.

"Robert."

Robert nodded as he smiled at the woman who he had fallen for at such a young age.

"How have you been?" Olivia asked as she motioned for him to take a seat.

"Life has been good," Robert said, sliding into the booth, "I married a woman when Wesley was two and we were happily married till a little over two years ago."

"I'm sorry; what happened?"

"She lost her battle to breast cancer."

"My deepest condolences."

"What about you? Did you ever meet mister right and have children?"

"No, but I did meet Mrs. Right and married her, and I must say she is an amazing woman that I don't deserve."

"I always did get that impression when we were together; I just thought it was because you were young and inexperienced."

"It took a while, but I finally came to terms with it."

"I'm glad; what about your mother? How is she doing?"

"My mother died about ten years ago. She fell down a flight of stairs one afternoon when she was drunk."

"Olivia, I am so sorry to hear about that. I know you and your mother had your problems, but you still loved each other in your own way."

"We did," Olivia said, smiling, "That we did."

"My guess is that you didn't ask to meet me just so we could go over old times and catch up."

"Your right, I didn't," Olivia answered, taking a deep breath, "I want to know all about Wesley."

"He was the perfect child, Olivia," Robert said, smiling, "He started sleeping through the night about the time he was six months old. I was amazed and very thankful; it was hard being a single father, juggling school and work."

"I can imagine and I am so sorry about that.'

"Don't be, your mother was right, I should have been arrested and I do thank you for your sacrifice so I wouldn't go to prison."

"It was the least I could do," Olivia said, smiling, "What was his first word?"

"Da-da, I was trying to finish a paper for my class and he was in his play pen. He kept babbling and jumping up and down and I just kept on telling him give me ten more minutes. The next thing I knew, he was jumping up and down saying 'da-da' over and over again."

Olivia looked away when she felt the tears coming to her eyes.

"Hey," Robert whispered as he reached for Olivia's hands, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay," Olivia said, taking a deep breath, trying to get a hold of her emotions, "How was he in school?"

"He's got your brain, that's for sure," Robert said with laughter in his voice, "He excelled in school and they wanted him to skip a grade, but I wouldn't allow it. By the time we moved to California, the boy was making straight A's without even trying."

"What landed him here in New York?"

"He received a full Scholarship to NYU."

"Really?"

"Actually, he scored a perfect score on his SAT and ACT testing and, not to mention, I took him when he was eleven and had his IQ tested and he scored a 158 two points away from exceptionally gifted. Because of that, he was offered a full ride to just about any college of his choice and he chose NYU."

"Any reasoning?"

"He had always said that he felt like he belonged in New York and as soon as he graduated college, he was going to move here and live. I always thought that was you coming out in him, so I never said anything or fought him on it."

"Does he know about me?"

"He knows that he was given up by his mother, but not that you're the mother or at least as far as I know he doesn't know."

"How did he find out? We agreed that I would never look for him and you would never tell him the truth."

"He found out when Carolyn was sick. She needed a blood transfusion and he offered his blood but he didn't match. He was upset and told them that they were wrong and to retest it. They did and came back with the same result. He looked right at me with such anger in his eyes and asked me who his mother was."

"You told him?"

"That his mother was a woman I once loved, but was unable to marry and you were unable to keep him. To make sure that he stayed with family, I agreed to take him and raise him to make sure he had a great home."

"How did he take it?"

"He seemed to take it okay. He asked why couldn't we marry and why couldn't you raise him. I told him the truth, that you hadn't graduated high school yet and that your parents wouldn't allow me to marry you."

"There were no other signs or hints about any of this behavior?"

"No, none at all, he came here and started classes last year. He was excelling in them, always made the president's list. He called and told me about meeting Michelle and how he thought he had finally fallen in love. That was the last time I spoke with him till I got back home and had a message on my machine that he was in jail for rape. I flew out here immediately and saw him. He told me that the detectives at the 16 were investigating him."

"That's when you came to the station?"

"He never told me the detectives' names and I never once thought that you had stayed in New York, you had always talked about getting as far away from your mother as soon as you legally could."

"Then you ask to speak to the detectives in charge, and come face to face with me."

"I think I was as shocked as you were."

"That would be an understatement."

"You never realized that he was our son when you were investigating him?"

"I didn't, the date of birth matched up and when we researched him your name came up, but do you have a clue how many Robert Smith's there are? What were the chances that he was my son? I thought slim to none till you came in that day."

"I can understand that," Robert said, smiling, "Can I ask you something and will you be totally honest with me?"

Olivia nodded.

"What are his chances?"

"They're not good. There is more than enough evidence to put him away for life."

"I figured."

"Robert, I'm so sorry about all this."

"Why are you sorry, you were only doing your job?"

"I know, but I feel bad about not realizing he was our son and not doing more to help him."

"Olivia, don't, you did your job and that's all I can ask from you. Please do not feel bad about doing your job, okay? Listen, I have to be at the jail in an hour for visitation, but I would love to meet again and talk more if you don't mind."

Olivia nodded as she stood and hugged Robert good bye. As she walked out of the restaurant, she felt the tears began to fall from her eyes despite her best efforts to keep her emotions under control. Now she was starting to see why Alex wanted her to call her, and, at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be in Alex's arms.


	6. Chapter 6

"Alex" Olivia said as she walked into her office.

Alex looked up and smiled at her wife as she quickly got to her feet and went to her. She pulled her tight against her and kissed her temple while Olivia broke down in her arms. Once she was sure she was somewhat composed she carefully moved them to the couch.

"Want to tell me about it?"

Olivia shook her head no.

"Ok" Alex said as she wiped the tears that had fallen from her eyes. "Let's just lay back and let me hold you."

Olivia smiled as she snuggled down in Alex's arms. She couldn't help but smile at the role reversal and thought about how many would be shock to see her like this. Then again the one thing she had learned once she started dating Alex was what the public sees is not what you get behind closed doors.

"His first words were dadda." Olivia finally said after they had sat in silence for a while.

"Really?" Alex asked knowing how bad it was hurting Olivia despite how bad she was trying to hide it.

"Yeah Robert said he was in his play pen, while he was working on a paper, jumping up and down and just started saying dadda."

"He's highly intelligent." Olivia said raising up to look at Alex "He said they wanted to skip him a grade but he refused and by the time they moved to California he was making straight A's and wasn't even trying."

"He takes after his mom then.' Alex whispered kissing her.

"In more ways than one apparently."

"That was not what I meant and you know that Olivia Cabot."

"I know but the thought's there."

"I wish I could erase it that's for sure."

"I know."

"If he was in California how did he wind back up in New York?"

"Robert said he had always said since he was little that he was going to move to New York and live here. When he graduated high school he had scored perfect scores on the SAT and ACT and along with his grades he was given a full scholarship to just about any college in the country but chose NYU.'

"So he's a little genius like you are."

"His IQ surpasses mine but yeah he's a genius."

"Does he know about you?" Alex asked almost terrified of the answer. If Wesley knew she was his mom during the course of the trial he could use that to walk.

"He knows that Carolyn, that was Robert's wife, isn't his mother but Robert said he had never given him my name."

"Why tell him that the woman who raised him wasn't his mother if he wasn't going to tell him your name."

"Carolyn was sick and needed a blood transfusion. By all normal accounts his blood type should have matched hers and when it didn't he discovered the truth."

"How did they explain that?"

"He told him that I was very young when I gave birth to him and that my parents wouldn't allow him to marry me so I gave him to Robert to raise so he could have a good life. Robert said he seemed to accept that never once asked any other questions."

"Olivia the one thing we never considered was his birth certificate."

"My name isn't on it. I signed over all rights and his birth certificate didn't name me and until Carolyn adopted him when he was two the mother portion was left blank. So there was no way he would have found my name."

"But he insisted on coming to New York." Alex pointed out.

"He did and Robert thought it was safe for him to come. He was under the impression that I high tailed it out the second I turned eighteen. It was something I had always talked about."

"He didn't even know you were still living in New York?"

"Not until he flew in and asked to speak to the detectives that were handling his son's case."

"So it was quite the shocker for both of you that day."

"Yeah it was."

"Do you mind if I ask why he took so long to come to New York once Wesley was arrested?"

"Alex" Olivia said looking up at her "Ask me anything you want to know about him, Robert, or our meeting. I'm tired of the secrets between us."

"If you don't want to answer or you're not ready to tell me just let me know. I've been with you long enough to know I will be told but it has to be on your terms."

"I can work with that" Olivia said as she kissed Alex "Anyways, Robert was out of town apparently and didn't know that he was arrested until he flew back in and checked his messages. The second he got the message he flew right to New York. He said the last time he had talked to him he was doing great in school and had met Michelle and thought he had finally fallen in love."

"Not to poke holes in the story here but doesn't he have a cell phone?"

"I have said it before and I will say it again Alexandra Cabot, you would make a hell of a defense attorney."

"I don't like defending the scum of the earth I will leave that to Trevor Langen and other bottom feeders like him."

"I know" Olivia said as she entwined their fingers "Jail phones will not allow you to dial long distance cell phone numbers it must be a land line."

"Why am I not shocked that you know this." Alex said laughing.

"Full of useless information" Olivia answered smiling as she tapped the side of her head.

"Try hot air" Alex said teasing Olivia happy to see her smile again.

"Hot air or not you love me."

"I do baby with all my heart." Alex answered smiling.

"I hope so" Olivia said as she took a deep breath "Because, he said he would like to meet with me again so we can talk more. I want to I want to know all I can know about him."

"Olivia meet him as many times as you need to so you can find out all that you can about Wesley for you not the case."

"Will you go with me next time?'

"Do you want me too?"

"I would like you to. I told him that we were married and I would like him to meet you and I would like you to discover first hand about Wesley."

"Then I will be holding your hand the next time you meet with him."

"Thank you baby now I was wondering if you could escape early today?'

"If you don't mind me taking a little extra work home with me?"

"I don't mind I just want to be with you and not in the office."

"Give me five minutes to gather everything I will need and let Claire know to forward all important calls to my cell phone."

Olivia nodded as she leaned back and closed her eyes. It wasn't even two in the afternoon yet and Olivia was already feeling as if she had worked a sixteen hour shift. All she wanted to do was sleep but for some reason she had to know she could feel Alex by her.


	7. Chapter 7

Alex looked up from the motion that she was preparing when she heard the faint ringing of a telephone. After making sure that neither hers' nor Olivia's had fallen off their respective night stands and under the bed, she began to search for the ringing phone. As she neared their dresser, she realized that the ringing was coming from the cell phone she had found hidden in Olivia's drawer the other day while putting up the laundry. She glanced back at her sleeping wife before opening the drawer and pulling out the phone.

"Olivia Benson's phone," Alex said flipping the phone open and answering it only to be meet with silence, "Hello, Olivia Benson's phone."

Alex could only hear the steady breathing of the person on the other end of the call.

"This is Detective Olivia Benson's phone, how can I help you?" Alex asked again.

"Sorry, wrong number," A female voice said before disconnecting the call.

Alex stared at the phone before glancing up at Olivia's sleeping form. She knew that the call was not just a wrong number, but that she was never meant to answer that phone. Taking a deep breath and silently praying for forgiveness, she pulled the number back up from the call log and quickly hit the send button.

"Liv, Alex answered the phone," The voice said answering the phone.

"Yes, I did," Alex answered, "Who is this?"

"Oh god," the voice said before the call was disconnected again.

"Liv, wake up," Alex said as she sat down on the bed with the phone still in her hand.

"What is it?" Olivia mumbled as she snuggled closer to Alex sighing at the contact.

"Your phone was ringing."

"Oh," Olivia said sitting up immediately alert and reaching for her phone on the nightstand, "I never heard it."

"Not that one," Alex said holding the phone in her hand out for Olivia to take, "This one."

"Did she say what was wrong?" Olivia asked taking the phone from Alex

"Only that it was a wrong number and when I called it back she thought it was you, apparently, and informed me that I had answered the phone."

"She didn't say where she was or what was wrong?"

"No, nothing, I promise."

"Give her a few minutes to call back. We have a system worked out if someone else answers the phone."

"That someone else being me?" Alex asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," Olivia answered not really focusing on the conversation as she silently willed the phone to ring again.

"Who is she?" Alex asked pulling the phone from Olivia's hands getting her attention, "Who are you trying to protect that you don't want me to know about?"

Olivia looked up at Alex and couldn't help but laugh and smile at the attorney.

"Find something funny?"

"Yeah, you," Olivia said as she leaned forward and kissed Alex, "Most women would be off on a rant about how I was cheating on them, but instead here you want to know who I'm protecting."

"That's because, despite what I said or did yesterday, I have never questioned your faithfulness to me."

"Then, why?" Olivia asked as she studied the blonde.

"Because I had to corner you at something to make you open up, and your trigger button has always been your faithfulness. I know that despite what you say you have never forgiven yourself for seeking out comfort while I was in witsec, despite what I tell you."

Olivia nodded as she looked away; there were times that she hated that Alex knew her better than she knew herself and this was one of them times.

"Look at me," Alex whispered as she gently turned Olivia's head so that she was looking into her brown eyes, "I have said it before and I will say it again, you have never cheated on me, despite what you think. I told you that night in the motel room to move on to find someone else. I didn't know how long I would be stuck in witsec and it wasn't fair to make you wait for me."

Olivia nodded her head in agreement.

"I know that was to please me," Alex said smiling, "But I'll take it. Now, who was on the other end of the phone and how much danger did I put her in by answering the phone then calling her back?"

"That was Michelle, Wesley's fiancée, and she shouldn't be in anymore danger than what she was already in, but something has to be wrong for her to call."

"What do you mean?"

"She started receiving threatening phone calls and letters when Wesley was first suspected and questioned."

"Why; she wasn't with him when he committed the rapes?"

"No, but she stood by him and didn't believe that he had raped those women which really pissed off some people."

"By standing by her fiancé, she began to receive threatening phone calls."

"Yeah and once he was arrested, it only got worse."

"How?"

"Phone calls at all hours, threatening letters, her car was vandalized as well as their apartment. When she attended class, they would call her a rapist then, when they discovered she was pregnant, they began threatening the baby."

"So, she's been hiding in that motel for protection? Olivia, that is one of the worse motels around here."

"I know, but the manager knows me from a few cases I've worked there and is doing me a favor by allowing her to stay there free of charge. It was the best I could do."

"Without you charging everything and me discovering," Alex said filing in the rest of the sentence.

"Yeah," Olivia said staring at the designs on the bedspread unable to look at Alex, "I bought us burner phones so she could contact me any time without it being traced."

"She was told to say she had a wrong number if I discovered the phone and answered it?'

"Probably not the brightest idea I've ever had."

"Agreed," Alex said standing, "Come on, get dressed, and let's go."

"Go to her?" Olivia asked hesitantly as she stood as well.

"Yes," Alex answered as she pulled a sweater from her drawer and over her head, "Then we will bring her back here and she can stay in our guest room for as long as she needs."

"Are you serious, Alex? Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, I do, Olivia. We are going to go and pick up the mother of your grandchild and bring her back to our apartment so she can stay with us. Now, hurry up before she runs thinking I'm some jealous wife that's going to hunt her down and stake my claim on you by attacking her."

"Alex, why aren't you jealous?" Olivia asked as she scrambled after her.

"Because," Alex answered stopping as she turned to face Olivia pulling her to her, "I know your heart belongs to me and we both have been through too much to get where we are right now to lose everything with a quick romp in the hay."

"Forsaking all others," Olivia whispered as she brought Alex's lips to hers in a gentle kiss that was so full of love that it brought tears to both their eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for reading, following, and favoriting this story along with all my other ones. It truly shocks me and amazes me that anyone other than attorney's and judges are interested in what I write. Thank you guys so much.**

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"Michelle, open the door," Olivia called out as she knocked on the door a second time, "It's me."

"Olivia," Michelle called out.

"Yeah, it's me, sweetie," Olivia called back as she glanced at Alex.

"Olivia, I'm sorry," Michelle said as she opened the door, "When I called earlier Alex answered the phone and then called back. I didn't mean to cause you any problems."

"The only problem we have," Alex said stepping up to where Michelle could see herm "Is the face that my wife has kept this from me for so long."

Michelle face paled as she took a step back with her hand on her chest shaking her head.

"Michelle, calm down," Olivia said stepping forward and reaching for the younger blonde woman to steady her when she started to sway.

"I swear, there's nothing between us, I promise," Michelle said crying as she continued to back up from the two women, "there's never been anything between us; Detective Benson was just helping me."

"Calm down, honey, I know everything."

"Nothing, I swear, nothing."

"I believe you," Alex answered as she placed her hand on Olivia to stop her and step forward, "I trust Olivia with my life and I know the last thing she would ever do is cheat on me. In her attempts to keep you safe, she thought it would be best to keep you a secret."

"Not my brightest idea."

Alex glanced at Olivia and shook her head no before turning back to Michelle "Like she said not her brightest idea, but that's neither here nor there at the moment. She said that you would only call if something was wrong or you were in danger, now which one is it?"

"I don't want to cause problems. Olivia has been so helpful to me and the last thing I would want to do is to hurt her by hurting your relationship."

"Believe me," Alex said as she managed to coax the young woman to take a seat on the bed before squatting down in front of her, "We have gone through worse and still came out on top. Now, please tell me what happened?"

Michelle looked from Olivia to Alex and then back to Olivia.

"Alex knows the truth about everything and she will do everything in her power to help you, so you can tell her."

"They have apparently tracked me down to this motel," Michelle said as a fresh batch of tears started falling down her face, "When I came back from the store, there was a note under the door." Michelle reached into her back pocket and handed it to Alex, "It says we don't need another rapist, we will kill your baby."

Olivia closed her eyes and looked away hearing those words. She couldn't help but wonder how Michelle couldn't blame her for everything.

Alex reached out and squeezed Olivia's hand till she finally looked at her. Without saying a word, she told her that everything was okay and no one blamed her for Wesley's actions.

"This is what we're going to do," Alex said as she turned her attention back to Michelle, "We have a nice guest room at our apartment, that more than exceeds these accommodations, that has your name on it. You are more than welcome to stay as long as needed. So, I need you to pack up everything while Olivia here goes and thanks the manager for his assistance and checks you out," Alex turned to Olivia and smiled, "Honey, make sure you thank him very nicely with the discover card."

"Honey, the manager was giving me the room for free."

"Then get in my pocket book and thank him very nicely with the cash in my wallet."

Olivia nodded as she left the room, thanking the lord above that she had a very level headed wife who wouldn't jump to conclusions and kick her out without finding out the truth about everything.

"Now let's get you packed so we can leave here." Alex said as she turned her attention back to Michelle.

"I can't," Michelle said shaking her head, "If I move in with you, I will put your family in danger and Olivia has been too nice to me for that to happen."

"Michelle, I am an Assistant District Attorney and Olivia is a Detective with NYPD, believe me when I say this would not be the first time that we would have been put in danger and I promise you it won't be the last time either. So, you are going to pack your stuff and come home with us."

"They will just track me there, I can't run forever but I don't know where to go where me and the baby will be safe."

"You're right, you can't run forever, and this will be your last stop on your run. As for where you will be safe, you will stay with us and we will all face them together. You need to be somewhere safe where you can focus on your health and your baby's health and that place will be our apartment. It is a secured building and no one can reach you without giving permission to our doorman or the security at the desk. Now, let's get all your stuff packed and into the car."

"Why are you being so nice to me? With the exception of Olivia, no one has tried to help me."

"A) you are not to blame for what Wesley did and you most certainly can't blame the child for it. B) I took an oath to help those in need and you are a woman in need. Lastly and probably most importantly, you are pregnant with my wife's grandchild. I don't care what I may or may not feel for you, but you're family, most importantly, you're the only family Olivia has. That right there cements everything."

"I have caused enough problems between you two, I don't want to cause anymore."

"I promise you," Alex said going to sit by Michelle and hugging her tight to her, "That the only problem that was between me and Olivia was the fact that she kept all this a secret from me and, believe me, we have been working through that. Unlike some couples, we don't let things fester between us till we can't work through it."

"But…"

"In case you haven't figured it out," Olivia said as she walked back into the room, "When Alex has her mind set on something, it will happen and nothing will stop her. In this case, she has her mind set on you moving in with us for however long you need and I, for one, am all for it."

"Are you sure you won't mind?" Michelle asked looking between the two women.

"If I minded, I wouldn't be offering," Alex answered as she stood, smiling when Olivia wrapped her arms around her and pulled her tight against her "Besides, I look forward to learning all I can about you and Wesley."

"I'll never be able to repay you, though."

"The only repayment I want is for you to share everything you know about Wesley with Olivia."

"I can do that." Michelle said as she began to throw her clothes in her suitcase.

"And when the baby is born allow her visitation."

"I've already told her that she is more than welcomed to see the baby anytime she wants."

"Thank you," Alex said smiling as she reached out and took Michelle's suitcase from her and guided her from the motel into their waiting Mercedes SUV.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who has read and stuck with this story. Considering how I wanted it to go and lead off I really didn't think that you guys would give it a shot but you did. Thank you so much for that.  
**

* * *

"Where is Olivia?" Michelle asked as she walked into the living room. She had spent less than twenty-four hours in the Cabot household and the one thing that she had not only learned but witnessed first-hand was that those two women had the type of love that every young woman dreams about. It was the type of love that she thought she and Wesley had at one time.

"She was called in," Alex answered looking up from the file she was reading and smiled at the young woman, "Would you like something to eat?"

"I am a little hungry," Michelle answered.

"Well, let's go and see if we have anything in the house that the little one would like to eat, if not, we can always order in," Alex said standing and stretching before heading toward the kitchen.

"Thank you, but you are doing too much for me already," Michelle said as she followed Alex into the kitchen, "I don't want you to go out of the way for me. I have some money left in my account and, if it's okay with you, I will go shopping for some items for me here."

"You are more than welcome to leave at any point," Alex answered turning to face the woman who despite the fact tried to put on a brave front she could see was terrified, "I would prefer that one of us was with you, but if you want to go alone that is fine too. If anything happens though, when you call 911 make sure that you give them Olivia's badge number, it's 4015. Believe me when I say, the world will come to a standstill to get help to you."

"I can't do that; that would get her in trouble."

"No, you're family and we take care of family," Alex said as she stepped to the blonde and pulled her into a loose embrace, "You need to realize you can lean on us too. We are here to help."

"She told me that no one knew," Michelle cried into Alex's shoulder.

"You're right," Alex said as she rubbed soothing circles on her back, "No one knew at the time. The other day she came clean to me, her Captain, and the defense attorney. So you don't have to worry about getting her into any trouble, okay? Just, please, allow us to help you."

"Okay," Michelle said as she stepped back and wiped the tears that had fallen, "Damn hormones have me laughing at one moment and crying the next."

"From what I hear, it will only get worse."

"You two never had any children?" Michelle asked taking a seat.

"No, we didn't," Alex said exhaling as she took a seat across from Michelle, "Our relationship is truly a lifetime movie. We first met back in 2000 when I was assigned to their unit as their ADA. The Morrison Commission was after them and had labeled them a rogue unit that needed a babysitter to keep them in line."

"You were their babysitter."

"I was," Alex said laughing, "I saw them as a stepping stone to the Governor's office and nothing more. I figured after a year there I would request a transfer to a different unit and continue my political climb upwards."

"Instead you stayed?"

"I met Olivia and after that I didn't care about my political career. What I did care about was this brunette detective who gave everything to the victims and never once asked for anything for herself. I had never met someone who was a selfless as she was, is."

"So, it was love at first sight?"

"Oh so far from that, it's not even funny," Alex said laughing, "We were at each other's throat constantly. She was constantly mad that I wouldn't or couldn't get them a warrant that they needed and I was constantly mad at her for asking me to bend the laws to get the warrants. After a while, I came to understand why she was so headstrong about the cases she worked, which just made me fall even more in love with her than what I already was."

"Her past..."

"Yeah…"

"Who made the first move?"

"I did. I invited her out for dinner one night under the disguise of a ladies night out. At the time, we were the only two women assigned to the unit."

"I can see that she accepted."

"After plenty of coaching and some help from the guys in the unit."

"From there, the rest is history?"

"Boy, don't I wish it was that easy," Alex said laughing, "It took me over a year to ever tell her how I felt about her and, as soon as I did, she stood and dropped some money on the table and walked out of the restaurant."

"You must have been devastated?"

"I was. I quickly made my exit and stopped at the nearest bar on the way home," Alex said remembering the night she thought she had made the biggest mistake of her life.

"How can you love me?" Olivia asked as she stepped forward from the shadows when she saw Alex arrive home, "I'm a rapist's daughter, a cop. There are some months that I don't have enough money to buy groceries after I pay all my bills. You, you're Alexandra Cabot. You've had everything handed to you on a silver platter and deserve the world laid out for you at your feet. How can you say you love me?"

"Because I don't care about any of that," Alex answered as she turned to face Olivia who had just scared ten years off her life.

"But you're Alex Cabot…"

"I am," Alex said taking a step closer to her, "And you're Olivia Benson, a woman who somehow some way managed to make me fall for you without you even realizing it, without me even realizing it. Everything else is just irrelevant."

"You'll never achieve your goals."

"What's the point of reaching every goal I've ever wanted if I don't have someone to celebrate my accomplishments with?"

"You could have anyone?"

"I want you."

"One day, you'll regret it."

"Never."

"You two have been together ever since?" Michelle asked pulling Alex from her thoughts.

"Lord, no," Alex almost moaned, "In 2003, I went after a drug lord, despite the fact that they begged me not to. Before I knew it, they had a contract hit out on me and almost succeeded in killing me had Liv not been there and applied pressure to the wound. After that, I was forced into the witness protection program and stayed there for close to four years. I came back briefly to testify against the guy who had shot me and that night I told Liv that it wasn't fair to keep her waiting and I wanted her to move on."

"Since you two are married, I take it she didn't?"

"From what I'm told, she did, but it still took a while," Alex said smiling at the look of shock on Michelle's face, "When I returned from Witsec, I did everything I could to avoid seeing her and the unit I use to work with. I knew I wouldn't be able to stand to see her or be near her knowing that she had moved on. It wasn't until a case brought me back that we finally sat down and discussed things. We were trying to go for a friendship of sorts when we realized that friendship wouldn't work for us, especially after the case involving Babs Duffy. So, we began to work on our relationship again."

"Babs Duffy?"

"I will let Liv explain her to you. She is truly one for the books, but moving on, after a while she asked me to marry her and I was lucky enough to become married to the best woman who ever walked the face of the earth if you ask me."

"How long have you been married?"

"Believe it or not, only four years."

"Wow, I would have thought longer."

"Thanks to Velez, it wasn't," Alex answered standing not wanting to discuss her time away from Olivia anymore, "Now, let's see about getting you and that little one something to eat."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I know it has been a while since I've updated all my stories and I am so sorry but I have hit the proverbial brick wall on all of them. I was hoping that if I was finally able to get this chapter out it would open up the flood gates on the rest and I was right. The next chapter to Divorce is currently with my Beta and I will hopefully be able to have that updated within the next couple of days. To everyone who is sticking it out with me on all my stories and the gaps, Thank you.**

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"I have a special delivery of eggplant sauteéd with onions, green peppers and tomatoes, with tender pieces of lamb; served with white basmati rice and a double order of Toorshi," Olivia said as she walked into the apartment and made a face, "Also known as pickled vegetables and, for us with normal tastes, I have Italian."

"Thank you," Michelle said as she jumped up from her seat and ran to take the bags from Olivia's hand giving her a quick hug before sitting at the table to eat.

"Alex, didn't you feed her at all today?" Olivia asked as she sat the bag with their food down on the table by the door and walked over to hug and kiss her wife.

"Yes, I did," Alex answered as she smiled at her wife, "But your grandchild has some very strange tastes in food."

"I would have to say so, Afghan food with a double order of pickled vegetables? The smell alone made me nauseous," Olivia said laughing as she glanced over her shoulder at Michelle who was happily eating her meal," How she is standing is beyond me."

"Because that is what she wants and has been craving, so the smell isn't bothering her like it is us. But believe me if it's something she isn't craving and it smells, it's liable to make her sick to her stomach."

"Alex, I can't thank you enough for this," Olivia whispered so Michelle wouldn't hear them, "It means a lot, having her here and being a part of the pregnancy."

"I know, honey," Alex answered as tears glisten her eyes, "I'm sorry we've never…"

"We have the life that was meant for us," Olivia said placing a finger, "I, for one, am quite happy and content with the life we have made."

"I'm glad," Alex said as she walked into the kitchen with their food and joined Michelle at the table.

"Michelle, what doctor are you seeing?" Olivia asked as she walked into the living room and joined Alex on the couch. They had spent dinner discussion her college load and how she could keep up with it. Thankfully, the Cabot name had enough pull to switch all but one of her classes to online with tutoring if needed for what she was behind on. Alex had hired a computer programmer to come in the next day and fix their computer would be up to par for her classes.

"I've been going to the NYU Langone Women's Health Free Clinic," Michelle answered as she started to play with a frayed piece of the blanket that was covering her.

"Are you up to date with all your exams and testing's needed for the pregnancy?"

"I've taken everything that they offer for pregnant women. I've done all the testing that I can do before I have to start paying. Honestly, I don't know and I don't have health insurance to cover any other doctor or clinic that charges."

"With your permission, I would like to schedule you with an appointment to see my OB/GYN," Alex said sitting up straighter.

"I appreciate it Ms. Cabot, but I can't allow you to do that. When I went out earlier, I applied for a couple of waitressing jobs and I'm hoping that I will be able to start by next week at one of them. Depending on how much I make a week, depends on if I can go to a different clinic."

"Michelle, I need you to understand something," Alex said standing and going to sit by Michelle, "You don't have to worry about money while you are here or once you decide to move out as it is. I would prefer it if you could just take time and focus on your health and your baby's health."

"I'm not looking for handouts or pity," Michelle stated as she stood to her feet and started to leave the living room.

"I'm glad because I'm not offering either," Alex said standing just as quick, "What I am offering is to help a family member in need."

"But I'm not family to you."

"You're right, but you are family to my wife and that's all I need to know."

"I'm not even family to her, ma'am, she signed away all her parental rights to Wesley," Michelle snapped out without even thinking

Alex took a deep breath to calm herself as she glanced at Olivia. Despite her best attempts, she could tell that Michelle had hit a nerve.

"She signed away her rights to protect the man who tried to save her from a terrible childhood," Alex answered advancing on the woman who had just hurt her wife, "It wasn't a decision that she made lightly and, believe me when I say, she has more than paid the price for it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

"Then how did you mean it?" Olivia asked from behind them, "Because what you said is the truth. I signed away my rights to Wesley, therefore I have signed away my rights to this child."

"Liv…"

"Don't Alex, she's right," Olivia said as she grabbed her coat from the rack and put it on, "I'll be back later."

Alex waited till she knew that Olivia was gone before she turned her attention back to Michelle,

"I don't know exactly how you meant that nor at this moment do I really care. What I do care about is that woman who just walked out that door with her world shattering around her feet. I will not have her world come crashing down anymore than what it is already, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Michelle whispered as she backed into the wall.

"If you want to get technical, you're right she has no claim to this baby, but blood is thicker than water."

"I was only meaning that I don't understand why you're helping me so much when technically I'm not her family."

"Because like I said blood is thicker than water. That baby has half of Wesley's DNA in him which means a fourth of that child has her DNA as well. Which makes this child the only family my wife has left."

"It will be years before I can repay you for the medical portion though. I don't want to hurt you financially especially since I've already hurt her career by going to her for help."

"You haven't hurt her career any and if she lost her job believe me when I say we are set so that she doesn't have to work. She chooses to work the same as I do."

"You want nothing in return?"

"Just allow her visitation, please don't keep this baby from her."

"I already told you I wouldn't," Michelle answered as she turned and started back down the hall.

"This is not a threat, but it is a promise," Alex called out to the retreating form "I will do anything to keep my wife happy and if I have to take you to court believe me I will."

Michelle stopped and turned around to look at Alex before she closed her door. She knew without a doubt that Alex would do whatever she would have to do to keep a smile on Olivia's face and lord knew she had the money to make it happen as well.


	11. Chapter 11

"Good morning, Olivia," Michelle said as she looked up from her text book when she heard someone enter the kitchen.

"Good morning," Olivia answered as she walked past Michelle to get a cup of coffee.

"I think we need to talk about last night," Michelle stated as she watched Olivia walk by her.

"I don't think we do," Olivia answered as she poured her coffee and took a drink without turning around "You're right, I gave up my rights to Wesley before he was born so I have no rights to this child and I am not any form of family to you."

"That's not how I meant it, I swear to you, Olivia."

"Then how did you mean it because, from my view point, you hit the nail on the head."

"I don't understand why both of you, especially Alex, are going out of your way to help me and not expect anything in return."

"Why wouldn't we offer assistance without wanting anything in return?" Olivia asked turning to face Michelle.

"Just about everyone in my past who has ever been nice to me or offered to help me has ended up screwing me in the end in one way or another. The last person that was this nice to me and acted like they wanted nothing from me in return was Wesley and we both see how that turned out."

"Michelle, you need to understand something," Olivia answered sitting across from Michelle, "When we say we want or expect nothing in return, we do truly mean it. Actually, that's not the whole truth though, I want to be able to see my grandchild, but that's all we want from you and nothing else. We don't want or need any form of repayment or anything to that effect and if it would ease your worries some then we can have a legal document drawn up for that."

"That's not necessary, but thank you," Michelle answered reaching across the table and taking Olivia by the hand.

"Just know the option is there if you would like it."

"I do and I appreciate it," Michelle said standing as Alex walked into the kitchen, "Now if you two will please excuse me, I need to go and shower so I can get ready to go to the campus."

Olivia nodded as she turned and studied her wife. The change in Michelle's demeanor and facial expressions told her that something was said between the two women after she had left last night and whatever it was wasn't good either.

"Want to tell me what that was about?" Olivia asked once Alex had finally turned around.

"What?"

"Her sudden change in demeanor and facial expressions?"

"You have to ask her, I have no clue," Alex answered with a smile.

"Something tells me that you're lying to me. What happened after I left last night?"

"I told her that I would do anything to keep a smile on your face and you as happy as possible and if she thought for one second she would keep your grandchild from you I would see her in court."

"You threatened her?" Olivia asked feeling her temper rise.

"No, I made a promise not a threat, Olivia, there is a difference."

"She took it as a threat."

"I told her upfront that it was a promise not a threat. She nodded and then went into her room and shut the door."

"Alex…"

"Don't 'Alex' me, I will not have someone come into our home and threaten my wife. I don't have the best law firm in New York on retainer for nothing either. If she wants to deny you visitation to your grandchild then they will do what I pay them a hefty monthly fee for."

"I guess we think alike," Olivia said laughing, "Her problem is that no one has ever helped her without wanting something in return and the last person who treated her nicely was Wesley and I don't think I need to elaborate on that issue. She is waiting for the other shoe to drop and like any normal mother she is doing whatever she thinks she needs to do to protect her child. Once she explained that to me, I told her that I would be willing to draw up any legal document needed to reassure her that out of all that we are doing for her all we want is to be a part of the baby's life."

"I can call Cowan today and have the papers drawn up," Alex stated, "What do you want them to specify?"

"I don't want the papers and neither does she."

"I would feel better if we had one in place."

"But I don't want one, at least not right now."

"Okay, I won't have one drawn up then," Alex answered smiling as she reached forward and caressed Olivia's face, "If you change your mind, let me know and we can call them."

"I will, I promise."

"Good," Alex answered smiling, "I missed you last night."

"I missed you too and I'm sorry, honey."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Alex answered as she placed her finger on Olivia's lips to silence her, "My only concern is that you're okay now."

"Now that I've talked with Michelle, yeah, I am."

"That's all I care about," Alex answered standing, "Some of us have to work today so I need to go get ready."

"Hey, Alex," Olivia called out just as Alex had turned out of the kitchen and started down the hallway.

"Yes," Alex answered sticking her head around the corner.

"I want to meet Robert again."

"So don't expect you for dinner tonight?"

"No, actually…," Olivia said as she stumbled over her words unsure of how to ask Alex what she wanted to ask her.

"Expect you and him for dinner?"

"If it's okay with you?" Olivia asked as she looked up at Alex with uncertainty in her eyes.

"You better stop by the store and pick up something for dinner then otherwise we will be feeding him take out tonight."

"Thank you," Olivia said finally smiling and exhaling the breath she had been holding.

"You're welcome," Alex answered as she turned to walk back down the hall but stopped and looked at Olivia again, "By the way detective, in case you forgot, this is your house too. You have never and will never have to ask for permission on whom to invite over, whether it's the father of your child or an ex-girlfriend, although to be honest not too keen on the whole ex-girlfriend idea."

"That makes two of us," Olivia said laughing.

"I love you and now I really have to go and get in the shower before I am late."

Olivia sat in the kitchen and wondered not for the first time in her life what did she ever do right to earn the love of someone like Alex. Someone with her past should have never been allowed in the same circles as Alex, much less be blessed with her love, but instead everyday she was reminded of the wonderful gift she was given and to never take it for granted.


End file.
